Retaining strap for covers or the like



Dec. 8, 1936.

J. c. MARSELLUS RETAINING STRAP FOR COVERS OR THE LIKE Filed June 12, 1955 U U H..i/. J z m4 2 c v VENTDR Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RETAINING STRAP FOR. COVERS on THE LIKE Application June 12, 1935, Serial No. 26,207

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved retaining strap adapted more particularly to be used in connection with containers such as burial caskets having a flexible lining or covering extending continuously across adjacent members which are hinged together.

In the construction of various containers such as burial caskets and particularly those commonly known as the quarter drop, the half couch and the full couch design, where a portion of the cover or the entire cover is hinged to the back side of the body member so as to be readily swung from the closed position to an open upright position at the rear of the body member there is usually employed a flexible fabric strap or a cord secured to the forward or the upright edge of the cover member and to the interior of the body member adjacent one end thereof for maintaining the cover in the upright open position against further rearward swinging movement.

As is well known, these retaining straps or cords are nearly completely exposed to view when the cover or a section of a cover is in the open upright position, and in order to render these retaining straps or cords as inconspicuous as possible, an attempt has been made to make them harmonize with the lining and general construction of the casket by rendering them more or less decorative. This structure not only presents an awkward, unpleasing appearance but is also expensive to provide in that costly materials are necessarily employed.

The main object of this invention is to provide a retaining strap for maintaining the cover or lid of burial caskets or other containers having fabric lining in an open upright position which may be readily concealed beneath the lining.

Another disadvantage experienced when utilizing the conventional fabric retaining strap or cord in the manner described above, resides in the fact that the lining of the casket or container adjacent the hinged edges of the cover and body members often becomes lodged between adjacent longitudinal edges of the body and cover members with the result that before the cover is closed, the lining must be manually moved from between these edges to prevent the same from being pinched therebetween and thus causing the separation to at least a slight degree of these edges when the cover is in the lowered or closed position.

Another object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a structure of the above mentioned class with a retaining strap adapted to be concealed by the lining which, when the cover is moved from the open to the closed position, will automatically carry the adjacent portion of the lining inwardly away from the adjacent hinged edges of the cover and body members.

In carrying out the above mentioned objects, I have provided a strap composed of a plurality of sections arranged end to end with the adjacent ends hingedly connected together.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a sectional retaining strap member of the above mentioned class wherein one of the strap sections is adapted to extend across an adjacent container member whereby said section will be held against further swinging movement in one direction for limiting the opening movement of the cover member for said container.

Another specific object resides in providing a sectional retaining strap member wherein one of the sections is adapted to form an abutting surface for an adjacent strap section to limit swinging movement of said latter section and the container member moving therewith.

Other objects and advantages will more readily appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which: I

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a quarter drop burial casket illustrating a portion of the cover thereof maintained in the raised or open position by one or more of my novel strap retaining members.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail transverse sectional view through the raised portion of the cover and adjacent side of the body of the casket adjacent a strap retaining member taken substantially in the plane of the line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view similar to Figure 2 with the cover illustrated in the closed position.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of my novel retaining strap members.

As illustrated in the drawing, the casket as l is of usual construction and comprises a body portion 2 and a sectional cover 3. One of the sections as 4 of the cover is secured along one longitudinal edge thereof to an adjacent portion of the longitudinal edge of the rear wall 5 of the body 2 by two or more hinge members 6, one of which is clearly shown in Figure 2. The casket is also provided with a lining I composed of silk, satin or other suitable material. The portion of the lining I adjacent the cover section 4 extends tion from the interior of the body 2 along the rear wall 5 thereof upwardly over the inner surface of the cover section 4 in the conventional manner and is secured in any well known manner to said body and cover members.

My novel retaining strap as 9 is composed of a plurality of, in this instance, four sections which consist of two end sections I0 and II, and two intermediate sections I2 and I3. The end section I0 is hingedly connected as at- M with the intermediate section I 2, while the other end section II is hingedly connected as at ;I5 to the intermediate section I3 and said intermediate sections I2 and I3 have their adjacent ends hingedly connected as at I6. These hinge connections I4, I 5 and I 6 are shown as being formed by adjacent end portions of the respective sections being bent to form hinge eyelets which are connected by suitable pintles H in the usual manner, although it is obvious that other forms of hinge connections may be utilized without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It will be obvious that one or more retaining straps 9 may be utilized for maintaining the cover section '4 inv an upright open position, and as illustrated more particularly in Figures 2 and 3, the strap, or straps, is mounted intermediate the body member 5 and the cover member 4 and the adjacent portion of the lining I so that said strap, or straps, is entirely concealed by the lining as the casket is viewed from the front side when the cover is in the open position. Each strap is secured to the body and cover members in any suitable manner and as illustrated, the end sec- Ill is secured by screws I9 to the cover section 4 in spaced relation to the rear longitudinal edge thereof, while the other end strap section I I is similarly secured by screws I9 to the body side 5 adjacent the upper edge thereof.

Theend section II of the strap is preferably arranged when secured to the :body 5 with the outer edge thereof adjacent the upper longitudinal edge of said body member and with the hinge member I5 thereof positioned at the lower side of said end section so that when the cover 4 is in the open position, the adjacent intermediate strap section I3 will extend upwardly from the hinge I'5 in close proximity to the end section II, and will engage the upper edge of said end section II for limiting the outward swinging movement of the intermediate section I3, and, therefore, of the other intermediate section I2 and end section III of the strap and the cover member 4 secured thereto, thereby providing a metallic surface integral with the strap adapted to form an abutment to be engaged by one of the strap sections as I'3 for limiting the outward swinging movement of :said section, and thus eliminate the necessity of providing additional metallic or other stop means whereby the outward swinging movement of the cover may be limited without marring or mutilating the wall of the body which is usually composed of mahogany, walnut or other expensive wood. The lengths of the intermediate sections l2 and I3 are to be such that when the section I 3 is in engagement with the end section I I for maintaining the cover in the open position, the hinge member I6 will be maintained in a plane inside of a line extending directly between the end section hinge members I4 and I5 so that when the cover is moved from the open toward the closed position, the strap sections will readily swing about their respective hinge members to the folded position without necessitating manual manipulation thereof or "requiring any especial attention.

Furthermore, it is desirable that one of the intermediate strap sections as I3 be of longer length than the other strap section I2 so that when the cover is in the closed position, the

shorter strap section I2 will lie adjacent or in close proximity to the corresponding end section It] and the portion of the cover secured thereto as illustrated in Figure 3 so that the portion of the lining 1 extending across the retaining strap will not be maintained in an extreme .inwardly extended position by the retaining strap.

It will now be observed that when the cover section 4 is in the open position and as hereinv before stated, the retained strap members 9 will be completely concealed by the lining I and, fur

thermore, it will be obvious that when thecover is moved from the open to the closed position, the portion of the lining 1 extending across the ad jacent hinged side edges of the cover and body will be carried inwardly by the retaining strap or straps and thereby be prevented from being lodged between said longitudinal hinged edges and pinched therebetween as the cover reaches the closed position.

Although the construction and operation are said casket members to be concealed thereby including a pair of strap elements hinged together at adjacent ends, the other ends of said elements being hinged respectively to the side and cover members of the casket, at least one of said latter hinge connections being spaced from the hinged edge of the corresponding casket member whereby the strap element will be maintained against outward swinging movement by said casket member when the cover is in the open. position.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein said strap elements are (of unequal lengths whereby at least one of said elements will lie in close proximity to a corresponding casket member when the cover is in the closed position.

JOHN C. MARSELLUS; 

